Great Lakes Wire

FOIA Request to Alpena County Sheriff's Office regarding 2023 arrest records on September 24, 2025.

The Great Lakes Wire, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Alpena County Sheriff's Office. The request seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The requested data points include arrestee name, sex, race, age, date of birth, citizenship status, booking ID, date of arrest, booking photo, names of arresting officers, type of crime committed, location of the crime, and date of the crime.

The request emphasizes the importance of access to public records for media professionals in fulfilling their responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and ensuring transparency for the public. As part of this process, Great Lakes Wire has requested a fee waiver based on its role as a media organization.

Additionally, the requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy. This non-profit organization assists news media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies by leveraging Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.

Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.